Peterson System Standard

I'm sure someone here has owned one of the Peterson system standard pipes -- I'm thinking about buying one for my brother in law who has expressed interest in pipe smoking but doesn't have a pipe of his own. He tends to like the deeply bent pipes but I'm afraid he will get something that smokes very wet and gurgles a lot. My thinking is that if he starts with a pipe that is designed to smoke drier, he would have a chance to get some technique down before a junky pipe drives him out of the hobby. If you have owned one of the Peterson system pipes, or had the chance to smoke one a decent amount in the past, would your recommend it? Do they smoke drier? Thanks for any input!

They're not for everyone. The "well," which is offset from the airflow, is quite effective in collecting moisture, and Petersons generally smoke just fine. Decent wood, all that stuff. The thing is that the well has to swabbed out after every smoke. Just twist a tissue around in the mortise, then use a pipe cleaner on the rest. I like them enough to have half a dozen, but I'm not crazy about them. I don't have any particular problem with moisture, so where's all the wet coming from? The "plain" Petes smoke just as well, and are simpler to clean--and strangely, no moisture to speak of. But if one's going to drool, the cool thing is that even while the pipe is warm you can twist the stem out, pour, re-insert, and resume smoking.

They're not for everyone. The "well," which is offset from the airflow, is quite effective in collecting moisture, and Petersons generally smoke just fine. Decent wood, all that stuff. The thing is that the well has to swabbed out after every smoke. Just twist a tissue around in the mortise, then use a pipe cleaner on the rest. I like them enough to have half a dozen, but I'm not crazy about them. I don't have any particular problem with moisture, so where's all the wet coming from? The "plain" Petes smoke just as well, and are simpler to clean--and strangely, no moisture to speak of. But if one's going to drool, the cool thing is that even while the pipe is warm you can twist the stem out, pour, re-insert, and resume smoking.

I've got about a dozen Pete system pipes and I love them. They are my daily beaters as I normally only have one pipe on me and smoke several bowls from it over the course of the day. Just empty the sump, run a pipe cleaner through the stem, swab the sump and reload.

I wouldn't describe the smoke as dry though, the stem can still collect plenty of moisture if you smoke fast. The cool thing as Rich says is you can remove the stem mid smoke and clear it of moisture.

I'd recommend checking out Falcon pipes as well as I think they do actually give a slightly cooler smoke thanks to the metal condensing stem, these too have a sump which may need clearing mid smoke too.

I just re-read your post, Adam. Would I recommend one to a beginner who has expressed an interest in bents? Sure, why not? You might also look at Savinellis, most of which have that balsa wood accommodation. Kind of a toss-up, choosing between the two. Falcons are great, I like mine a lot, but they don't look cool--and he's a beginner, right? And beginners want to strike a pose and look cool.

Yeah, he is a beginner. My first briar was a Savinelli Hercules bent Dublin, very fond of that pipe!

I'm sure the moisture that accumulates in the Peterson System well has to do with the generating of turbulence in the smoke stream... when the laminar flow of smoke through a pipe is disrupted, it spins and causes moisture to collect on the walls, part of the argument for polished airways and no filters, etc.

I've thought about it a little more, and anything that would require more maintenance than a simpler pipe is probably not a great idea for my brother in law. He would probably do well with something he can just run a cleaner through after a smoke, only needing to do deeper cleaning on occasion.

FWIW I went through a phase in which I couldn't resist a nice English bent and SP had dozens of 'Em in their estate section. Carol Burns usually has nice ones, too. My experience is that a bent without Pete's clever plumbing smokes dry enough, given a good packing touch and measured cadence. And refurbed estates come with a reasonable price tag, including Petes.

I just re-read your post, Adam. Would I recommend one to a beginner who has expressed an interest in bents? Sure, why not? You might also look at Savinellis, most of which have that balsa wood accommodation. Kind of a toss-up, choosing between the two. Falcons are great, I like mine a lot, but they don't look cool--and he's a beginner, right? And beginners want to strike a pose and look cool.

The Savinelli Dry System is the drier smoker because you can insert the balsa wood filter as well. Like wearing belt and braces together In other ways the Sav is similar to the Pete (I believe they are made in the same factory). Only difference is the "slot" in the button. I do not have a Pete System anymore, prefer the Sav 'cause over all it's a better pipe to me.

The novice might tilt the pipe to such an extend that the accumulated "oil" from the sump, ends up in his mouth. If that happens, that will be the end of his trying a pipe. With a balsa filter inserted in the Sav, chances of this happening is minimal.

I love my Falcon pipes but I've been smoking the pipe for more than 50 years. I won't recommend this pipe as a starter for a novice. Cleaning is a bit of a hassle and "oil" running into the guys mouth is almost a certainty.